Type to Learn is an engaging software that teaches typing for kids, and it is great for a wide range of ages. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade will grow in skill from the sequential touch-typing instruction presented in an engaging and fun way. The software lacks a few key features, but otherwise is an excellent application to teach kids keyboarding.

This keyboarding software is comprised of more than 100 typing lessons for kids of all ages. These missions teach all of the fundamentals of touch-typing, including proper posture and hand positions, correct finger-to-key movement, and the dreaded number and punctuation keys. The application introduces keys two at time, with corresponding typing exercises to develop keystroke memory for those particular keys.

The program also offers five typing games for youngsters to emphasize skills and keep them typing. Each one is designed to improve a specific keyboarding skill, such as speed, accuracy and hand coordination. As they work through the lessons and move through the assessments, the application promotes them to higher ranks, starting with Beginner Recruit and advancing to Master Agent.

When the kids take typing tests, the program creates progress reports that benefit both parents and children, as they help you, gauge how your children are doing. These reports also show kids where they need to improve and where they are excelling. You can view the progress reports as bar graphs to see their accuracy by hand, finger and key, which shows you your kids’ skills at using specific fingers, keys, the left or right hand, and different rows on the keyboard. Armed with this knowledge, you can encourage your children to focus on areas where they are weak and can improve.

The best typists are both fast and correct in their keyboarding. Ideally, it is best to focus on accuracy first and speed later. The software does not provide an adjusted words-per-minute (WPM) rate, which shows not only how quickly your child can type but also how accurately, since the adjusted WPM rate takes into consideration the number of errors they make.

A usability issue with this typing software is that once your child launches it, he or she must remain in the application until they click exit. Essentially, there is no option to minimize the application interface. While this may be a downside for kids who like to multitask, others may thoroughly enjoy feeling transported to another place entirely. Also, with no other distractions, your students can fully concentrate on their typing lessons.

Type to Learn is available for schools and individuals. For individual users, there are two options available: CD and a web version. If your child's school uses Type to Learn for its keyboarding instruction for the kids, the web version might work nicely for your children. The web version allows them to log in to their accounts at school or at home and always begin where they left off.

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Type to Learn Summary:

8.8/10

Type to Learn offers a fun and engaging platform for kids to learn how to type. Its typing missions are interactive, and its games are simultaneously educational and entertaining. This kids typing software lacks an adjusted WPM rate and requires you to fully exit the application to access other programs on your computer, but Type to Learn is ideal for teaching motivated students how to touch-type.